Sacrifice
by VlightPhase
Summary: Ranma and Akane's life had always been chaotic. But now a honored deity is stepping in, and not necessarily for the better.


Disclaimer: Ranma and Akane belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

…

The young prisoner looked up at the clear blue sky, listened to the cry of seabirds and couldn't help but resent all of it. The gentle wind and bobbing waves mocked her chained hands and feet with their carefree freedom. If she thought it would help the prisoner would have let loose her infamous temper, but there was no hope for her. There had been no hope for her ever since they had dragged her onto the boat to be sacrificed.

Her optimism had begun to disappear a year ago when The Great One began to manifest within Ranma Saotome's body. And now she, Akane Tendo, was going to die for it. Drowned before someone she once considered a friend, a comrade, a constant companion, a lifeline. Sure they had their ups and downs, their fights and squabbles, but they had always looked out for each other in the past. She had always admired him and had felt her feelings for him grow over time. And now she was to die right at his feet.

Each month a sacrifice had been made starting with a songbird, then a hare, each being progressively larger until Akane; Akane was to be the thirteenth sacrifice. The long ornate robes of the high priests rustled beside her in the small rickety boat. Also known as the Servers of the Godling, it was their responsibility to ensure The Great One's full and complete possession of His chosen body. They carried out their role studiously, even when it meant sacrificing a young maiden before the deity's chosen.

Akane took a deep breath that did nothing to sooth her, and turned her attention toward Ranma. He sat, still and stiff, facing the open water on a neighboring boat. Ever since The Great One's awakening within him he had become progressively more like that: cold, cruel and uncaring. Akane longed to see the old Ranma; the brash, impulsive, prideful young man once more instead of this puppet, or soon to be puppet. The Great One didn't have a complete hold of him yet, hence the sacrifice.

The lead Server raised his right hand and the oarsmen stalled the boats. Apparently he deemed the water deep enough for Akane's grave.

Ranma stood and faced Akane's boat. There he waited unblinking, unmoving, no sign that he knew where he was or what was going on. The Servers on either side of Akane roughly grabbed her arms and hauled her to her feet. Her head fell forward as they lifted her shoulders and she stared at the scant hole of water that separated her from what used to be one of the few men she trusted. The hole was more than big enough.

Someone, another high priest undoubtedly, lifted the long hair from Akane's back. She heard the slice of a knife and then her cropped hair fell back around her neck. The Server on her right began to chant, calling to The Great One to bring him forth. Akane was too busy staring into Ranma's eyes one last time, looking for any emotion, any recognition. Tears were dripping down his cheeks, though his expression and eyes remained blank. She couldn't tell if he realized what was happening or if his eyes were drying out from being open without blinking for so long. She wanted to yell, scream and thrash in part for him to react and in part because of her own terror. But she would not let herself. If she had to die then she would do so with dignity and without complaint.

Too soon the priest finished, Akane was lifted and for an endless moment her feet dangled above the rippling water. She searched Ranma's eyes and thought she saw a flicker of something, before she was dropped feet first into the waves. Then panic and a mad desperate struggle for air began.

….

It had been one year. One year since the beginning of the end, one year since Ranma Saotome was forced into a constant desperate battle for control of his own body. He had felt himself shoved farther and farther into a corner of his own mind by the deity he had once honored. The Great One betrayed him, first by allowing him to undergo the horrors of the Cat Fist training, second by leading him to the Cursed Springs, and third by stealing his own body, his own control from him. But nothing compared to the current betrayal, rowing out to sea so that the woman he loved could be murdered in front of him.

He struggled with all his might once again, trying to lift a finger, twitch, shout, scream, anything! But The Great One held fast, indomitable in his body. The only solace Ranma had was that the deity did not yet have complete hold over him. The small corner of Ranma's heart and mind was still his own. But this sacrifice would change that.

The lead Server indicated that they had reached the correct place and the boats drifted to a halt. Ranma felt The Great One grab hold of his body, force him to stand and face the other boat, like a marionette with steel cables attached to his limbs. As he watched Akane being hauled up he felt his horror rising as reality punched him in the gut. Until that moment he hadn't really realized what was happening. Oh he knew that Akane was going to be sacrificed, but he didn't fully grasp the situation until that instant. Akane was going to die.

Ranma felt tears begin to drip, then run down his cheeks. Bitter humor briefly filled him, here was the one sign the deity didn't completely control him; streams of water flowing across his face. He could do nothing but watch as the Servers cut the young woman's long silky hair and began chanting for The Great One to come forth.

Akane looked up into his eyes and pain seared through him. Her eyes lighted with defiance as she mercilessly searched his own. Ranma found himself praying to anyone…_Please, please, please…save her, save us… _

To his amazement a voice answered, a voice from within him, _Very well, little one_. But at that moment the Servers dropped Akane and she fell with a splash into the dark depths.

His mind screaming his terror, Ranma leapt after Akane into the salty water. He didn't realize that the water didn't even ripple as he passed into its depths, or that he was able to breathe under the waves. In fact he only noticed that something unusual had happened when he tried to grab Akane and drag her to the surface. Ranma's hands passed right through her body and he suddenly discovered that he had no physical form.

Akane thrashed wildly and at her panic desperation filled him. Ranma brought his face level with hers in the hope of calming her, before he leaned forward to press his lips against hers. Instead of going through her he made contact and a raging current swept through them both, even as Ranma sought to maintain contact with Akane. He vaguely felt the current lifting them both, and then everything went black.

….

The panic finally cleared when Akane found herself gasping on her hands and knees, the chains finally gone. She took big breaths of air while she reviewed her memory. After she had been thrown into her watery grave she had thrashed wildly despite the chains on her hands and feet. And then the impossible happened; Ranma dived in after her to help her. At the time she vaguely thought he was a figment of her imagination, come to ease her last few moments-especially when his hands had failed to touch her. But h-he had kissed her…and then there was a yank dragging her from her body and bringing her here.

Glancing around Akane noticed that she was in the small yard between the entrance gate and the front of the Temple-Palace, home of The Great One in His new human form. Even more astounding was that Ranma was to her left. The real Ranma-she could see the concern in his eyes. Still, that didn't stop her disbelief, "R-Ranma?"

Panting lightly from the recent ordeal, he placed his hand on her shoulder, the worry still in his eyes. "Are you alright, Akane?"

Just when Akane was going to answer she felt her form shudder and then begin shifting and changing. From the corner of her eye she saw the same thing happening to Ranma. Fur began to grow on her arms, back, legs, everywhere, some of it shaggier in some places than others. Her fingers shortened as hands morphed into paws and her nails grew into claws, she could feel a tail sprouting at the end of her spine and it too grew fur. Canines lengthen and grew into fangs as her clothes melded into her body.

Gasping for breath, the ordeal finally over, Akane look at herself and then over at Ranma next to her. Golden fur with a bushy mane and a semi-long snout they both looked like a cross between a lion and a dog. They had turned into a pair of shisa*, guardians against evil spirits.

Bewilderment, matching how she felt, shone in Ranma's eyes. Before they could do anything a noise made their attention snap to the gate and freeze, Ranma with his mouth open, Akane with her mouth closed. A peasant man walked by on the road in front of them.

Turning back to Ranma, Akane gulped past her dry throat and realized she could feel the grass beneath her feet while before she couldn't. "Wh-what happened?" Startled at the now rumbling sound of her voice she jumped slightly.

Ranma worked his jaw up and down several times, watching the gate, before he finally looked at Akane. "I prayed to anyone to save us," his voice had deepened to the rumbling of caverns. "The Great One answered me; I guess He wants us to guard this place."

"Correct," a third, almost familiar voice answered. Akane turned to see the puppet body of Ranma standing before them, just inside the gate with the Servers bowing respectfully outside. The puppet stood, straight, tall and emotionless, "Guard the Temple well, Shisa." With mechanical motions the Godling walked up to the Temple-Palace steps, and entered. In the silence that followed the Servers filed after The Great One's puppet into the sacred building.

When they were gone Akane broke the stillness with her outrage, "Why should we? After everything has been stolen from us all we get are a set of orders and a handful of fleas!"

She would have continued but Ranma cut her off with a soft whisper, "But you're still alive."

In astonishment Akane faced him and found him staring at the ground, his ears pressed against his skull.

"We're both still alive. I was-I was so sure…" he hunkered down and wrapped his tail around himself, somehow managing to shrink.

Seeing his distress Akane awkwardly approached him, not used to her own body. After a brief hesitation she lifted her front paw to place it on his shoulder. The position was a bit strange, but she didn't remove her paw.

Ranma looked up and continued, "And if we had survived as humans, do you really think either of us would have had a long happy life?"

"What do you mean?" Akane asked warily.

"If nothing had changed I'm not sure we would have lived very long. So many people were after me or you or both of us. This might have been the only way we could have a full, peaceful life."

Akane was silent, considering what he was telling her. It was true that over a year ago their lives had been chaotic. There had been an almost constant stream of suitors, rivals, challenges and crazy competitions for both of them. But before The Great One's manifestation no one had ever been in any real harm, right? The more she thought the more Akane slowly realized that not all their frequent visitors would keep everything harmless forever. Some of them might even turn to more serious and dangerous methods to achieve what they wanted. In fact, she grudgingly admitted, some of them already had and it was only sheer luck that none of the potions, traps or plots had harmed anyone.

While Akane mulled over things Ranma got a hold of himself and straightened back up. He caught Akane's eye before slowly leaning in and gently head butting her side. The action caused her to jump slightly before calming back down. Akane's paw slid to the ground.

"I know this isn't what I wanted when I asked for help," Ranma took a breath and faced Akane, "But after slowly losing my self control and everything important to me, this certainly is an improvement."

Akane ran her tongue over her new canines and answered in a shaky voice, "At least we didn't die."

….

A week had gone by and Ranma felt himself slowly adjusting to this new role. Sure, it was annoying how every time someone would pass he and Akane would freeze and face the perpetrator, one with their mouth open, the other with their mouth closed, but at least he and Akane were together and alive. As Ranma gradually accepted the outcome of events he noticed that Akane was uneasy almost all the time. He guessed she didn't like this drastic change, and he tried to distract her as much as possible.

He currently sat next to Akane, licking behind her ear and she lightly swatted his front leg. He stopped for a moment and nuzzled her neck. In response she rumbled-almost purred-happily, wagged her bushy tail and nuzzled him back. A movement caught their attention and they both turned to stare at it, Ranma with his mouth closed, Akane with her mouth open.

The familiar form of a young man, now dressed in rich robes, walked in stiff jerky movements to the Temple steps. Despite the gnawing discomfort growing in Ranma's stomach he and Akane relaxed marginally, but they still remained wary. The Godling was the only one they dared move in front of, but they still distrusted the puppet.

Standing on the Temple steps the puppet looked at them. "Will little Shisa soon run around?" This was followed by a slight tipping of the lips upward into a forced smile.

Ranma stared at the Godling, much as he had a moment ago. Did that, that _thing_ which had killed Akane and stole his body, did that _thing_ just attempt to joke? Then the puppet's words registered and his eyes widened.

Akane growled unhappily and moved a meter away from him. Unhappy that Akane was unhappy Ranma faced his former body and bared his teeth. Ignoring the reactions of the shisa the Godling bent over a bowl of water, lifted it, and dumped the contents over its head. The body shifted and shrank into a redheaded woman, who set the bowl back down and straightened again, all the while not the least bit bothered by the wet robes and dripping locks.

"Relax, Shisa, or are all former humans so distrustful?" As the redhead sat on the steps Ranma couldn't help but notice that it moved more…not naturally, but with more at ease than it had in the male body.

Akane growled her rumbling voice coming out low, almost like a hiss, a threat.

"I thank you, Shisa, for strengthening this vessel and now guarding it." The redhead spoke with authority and dignity.

Ranma bristled in response, "Is that all we are? Tools for whatever you wish?" He may have been becoming more comfortable with the recent change, but that didn't mean he wasn't upset with the one who forced it.

"The path you were following as humans would have led to your own demise, for both of you. Your…acquaintances would have seen to that."

"Why should we believe you?" Akane snapped, "Look what you've done to us!"

The puppet seemed indifferent, "You were given a second chance. Use it well." With that the Godling stood back up and jerked back inside.

Ranma watched his former body leave and then turned to face Akane, "The puppet has a point. We should make the most of what happened, Akane."

Akane grumbled, "After everything has been taken from us and our lives turned upside down?"

"We're alive and we're together. Would you rather we really did both die?"

She looked into his eyes and he saw her fear. "What if we are stuck like this forever?"

He slowly approached her and lightly butted his head against her, "Akane, we'll get through this, no matter what happens."

Akane was quiet for a time before she sighed and briefly leaned against him.

"You'll see. We'll be okay," Ranma murmured as he nuzzled her and leaned back. He felt Akane slowly relax beside him. Finally she nuzzled the side of his face. Grinning Ranma licked her back, knowing that they'd be alright.

…...

*Shisa are lion-dog statues that are in entrances of buildings. They are similar to Chinese guardian lions and are believed to guard against evil spirits. They often appear in pairs, one with its mouth open the other with its mouth closed.

If you want to know more the story continues in With Golden Fur.


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